Brooder



Aug. 1, 1939.

' R. R. MoRRlLL 2,167,956

BROODER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 5, 1936 FIL; uien Z Patented Aug. 1, 1939 2,167,956

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEl BRoonEn Richard R. Morrill, San Jose, Califi Application August 5, 1936. sei-iai No. 94.979

s claims. (ci. 11s-93)Y In thecare of young chicks during. that period Figure 1. is a. perspective view of a. brooder emof time lmmediately following hatching themebodying myv invention with parts broken away chanical brooder has come intov common use. and partly in section.

VIn the operation of these brooders an attempt is Figure 2 is a sectional View on line 2-.2 of

made to approach as closely as possible the nat- Figure 1. 5 ural conditions to which a chick is subjected Figure 3. is a sectional view on line 3-3 of when under the care of the hen, but insofar as Figure 1. t the present applicant is aware the results have Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of heretofore been far from satisfactory. Figure 1. I

lo There are, of course, many reasons for the Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the brooder. l0 apparent failure to achieve perfect. results. Figure 6 is a diagram of the .electrical wiring Among these may be mentioned the following. for the air circulating and temperature control Under natural conditions but few chicks are devices. mothered by a single hen, and when they all In the present disclosure a double brooder is l5 seek the warmth of her protecting body each shown but the detailed description is conned to l5 one has a certain freedom of movement and one only. Where the adjoining parts of the other plenty of air. Furthermore they may` pass freely appear in the illustrations they are designated by back and forth from one temperature to the other similar numerals followed by the letter a. as their natural instincts dictate, with ease and Referring now more particularly to the drawwithout confusion. ings, I show at I a base frame preferably made of 20 Mechanical brooders must of necessity accomheat and cold insulating material for the supermodate a large number of chicks, and the temstructure having apartition structurel extending perature conditions are such that there is a tendfrom Afront toback .at its center, the top edges of ency for them to crowd at certain times. This the parts I--Z forming a slide furthe floor struccrowding results in the loss of the weaker Achicks ture hereinafter described. 25 and interferes with the development ofv the The superstructure mounted on base I is heat stronger ones. When the crowding extends to and cold insulated and comprises top 3, front 4, the point where the chicks pile up even. some of back 5, and ends as 6. the stronger ones arelost. Again, such broeders The oor of the brooder comprises a frame 1 o0 do not permit the freedom of movement required, that slides on the top edges of parts I-2, its 30 nor do they permit theY chicks to pass quickly, front end being flush with the face of front 4. easily, and naturally from onev uniform tempera- This frame 1 is formed toprovide two levels, ture to another. the rear portion providing kthe higher level 8 and One object; of the present, invention, therefor the front portion providing the lower level 9, the

is to provide a brooder which will accommodate two levels being connected by an inclined p0r- 35 a large number of chicks and with the temperation I0, the inclined portion being disposed at ture 4and circulation of the air so controlled that approximately the center of the sides as shown. the tendency of the chicks to crowd will be en- Extending around the top of frame 1 is a flat tirely eliminated. strip I I, and mounted on this strip is a screen of Another object ofthe invention is to provide any suitable or desired mesh as I2.. Since the 40 a. brooder of the character indicated so arranged sides of the frame have an inclined portion it that the chicks may pass freely, easilyand. natfollows that the screen I2 forms upper and lower n urally from one temperatureV to another as their floors connected by an inclined Hoor portion as individual instincts may dictate. shown.

It is also an objectof the invention to; provide 'At I3` is shown a baffle board depending from 45 a brooder of the character indicated that will be top 3 and extending crosswise of the brooder and economical to manufacturey that will be clean dividing it into an upper chamber I4 and a lower and sanitary; in which the feed troughs may be chamber I5, this board extending downwardly to easily cleaned and filled without disturbing the the level of the upper floor and immediately over chicks; in which the runs may be removed from the line of juncture of the lower` oor with. the 50 the housing as a whole for cleaning or airing; inclined portion of the oor, but high enough and that will be simple in form and construction, topermit the frame 1 to slide thereunder. strong and durable, and highly eiiicient in its Depending from the. top 3 adjacent each side practical application. of. the chambers. is`A avv screen as I=1 and I8, and Y In the drawings.; Y v depending from that portion of the screen in the 55 upper chamber I5 is a plate as I9 and 20 provided with holes as 2I-22 through which the chicks may feed. Back of each plate and resting on strip I I is a removable feed trough as 23-24. These troughs may be removed at will through normally closed openings 25-26 in back 5.

In chamber I5 the screens I1-I8 extend down to the bottom of baiile I3, and the plates as 21--28 with feed holes 29-30 are mounted on the frame 1. The feed troughs 3I-32 maybe-removed as desired through doors 33-34, or the entire frame 1 with all of the parts mounted thereon may be removed from the housing by opening the sev-1;,

eral doors 35, 36, 31.

Mounted upon the lower edge of baiile I3 is a plate 38, This plate extends the` fulllength of the baiile and is disposed in parallel relation to the inclined portion of the. -underlyingloonforming a top to the passage 39 connecting chambers I4 and I5.

Spaced above the free edge oi platev 38- and below the top 3, and parallelly Aarranged with respect to the baiiie I3, is anotherplate 40. This plate is spaced from :the: baiiie, andin this intervening space is mounted a heater coil 4 l, theY coil extendingfrom one end` of .-the. brooder to the other and inserted in an electric circuitv as hereinafter described. -The spaces provided at the bottom and top of plate 40 provide air circulation passages and are designated by the numerals 42 and 43 respectively.

In the top 3 and in the center thereof, is provided -an outlet passage 44. A valve 45 covers this passage and is mounted on an arm 45a pivoted at 46. A solenoid magnet is shown at 41 with itscore'attached to arm 45. The degree to which the valve may open when the magnet is not energized is determined by a chain 41a attached thereto and adjustable at 49 on the exterior of the top.

At the upper edgeof the rear wall 5 of the housing is formed a slot 49 communicating with a vertically disposed conduit 50 which passes downwardly and terminates at a point just above the surface of the ground, the bottom end of the conduit being open to the atmosphere. Just within the lower end of the conduit is mounted a heater unit 5I.

,The heater lcoil 4I is inserted in an electric circuit including main wires 52 -53 and connecting terminal Wires'54-55, with a switch'at 5S and a thermostat at 51. The heater unit 5I and the magnet 41 are connected in multiple in. an electric circuit includingthe wire 58 and thermostat 59 as shown at 60 and 6I.v The wire 58 is connected to one of the main wires and to 54 between the switch and thermostat 51, the thermostat 51 operating Yat a lower temperature than thermostat 59. L

When the brooder is stocked and infull operation a gentle circulationof air is created by the unit5I. If the' valve 45 is held in a closed position by the chain 41a the onlyway forI air Vto escape from chamber I4 is for it to passunder the lower edge of balle I3. Due .to the .position of this baiiie relative'to thefiloorV of'chamber I4 there is no f appreciable circulation of air through chamber VI4 when unit 5I is cut out,

but when the unit 'is energized it heats the air entering conduit 59 thereby causing it= to rise and pass `into the chamber I4. ,This continued action serves to bring the entirebodyfof air; to a desired uniform temperatureclear down to and through the oor of.thechambergeliminating drafts and creating no warm areas which would cause the chicks to crowd.

Again, suppose the valve is adjusted by means of the chain to open a predetermined distance and that both thermostats are closed; the heat- 5 ers 4I, 5I and 5Ia are operating and the valve 45 is closed, and the temperature rises. When the temperature becomes excessive the thermostat 51 operates to cut off the current from the heater 4I. If this does not stop the rise of the 1U temperature, the thermostat 59 operates to cut off the current from the heaters 5I and 5Ia and to allow the valve 45 to open. Then, as the temperature falls, the thermostat 59 operates to supply current to the heaters 5I and 51a and 15 to closevalve 45. If this does not stop the fall of the temperature, the thermostat 51 operates tosupply current to the heaters 4I.

vIt .may be readily understood from the foregoing that the temperature of the -air in cham- 20 ber I4 maybe maintained at a given point regardless of the temperature of the air outside, and that the required temperature may be maintained down to and over the entire oor of the chamber. v By means of the ramp connecting the two floor levels the chicks may pass freely from one floor to the other, and feed as they desire on v either oor, passing quickly from one temperature to another as in nature. 30

An important feature of the invention is the fact that the upper chamber,A or hover, forms a heat trap.` Under some rclimatic conditions the air in said chamber may be maintained at the desired temperature merely bythe animal heat generated therein. In such a case a controlled outlet as 44 may be used as desired, and in any case a uniform temperature is maintained over the whole area of the floor.

In the particular embodiment of the invention herein disclosed the doors 36-36a are screened and not glazed and consequently the lower. chamber is exposed to atmospheric conditions, but the temperature in this chamber is somewhat modied by the warm air discharged into it from 45 the upper chamber, thereby preventing the air therein from dropping to extreme low temperatures on excessively cold days. Of course this front may be closed or glazed and the air allowed to escape below as from chamber I4 if so desired.

While the two-chambers I4-'I5 are herein shown in one housing it is clear that Vthe structure including the chamber I 4 with the ramp and baiiie I3 -may be used independently of chamber I5, the room in which the device is placed then becoming chamber I5.

It is to be understood, of course, that while I have herein shown and described but on specic embodiment of the invention, changes in form, construction, and mode of operation may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A brooder comprising, a housing having a baiiie -depending from the top thereof and extend- Ying from side-to side thereof intermediate its tending from side to side thereof intermediate its depth, a floor structure slidably mounted in said housing to pass beneath said baffle and having upper and lower ramp connected floor levels, the baiile being over the lower oor level, a normally closed opening in said housing through which the oor structure may be moved, air heating and circulating devices associated with the interior of the housing above the upper floor level, feed troughs slidably mounted on the floor structure, said housing having normally closed openings to permit passage of the troughs, apertured walls iixedly associated with the housing to isolate the troughs on the upper floor level, and apertured walls xedly associated with the i'loor structure to isolate the troughs on the lower floor level.

3. A brooder comprising, a housing having upper and lower ramp connected floors, battle means disposed therein to divide the same into upper and lower chambers and to direct the flow of air from the upper to the lower chamber below the plane of the upper chamber floor, air supply means leading into the upper portion of the upper chamber, upper-chamber-temperature controlled air heating means disposed in said air supply means, upper-chamber-temperature controlled air heating means disposed to communicate with said chamber, the controlling means for said last two heating trneans being operable at different temperatures and an adjustable ventilator in the upper chamber mounted to open and close in cooperative relationship with said rst mentioned air heating means.

RICHARD R. MORRILL. 

